The setting up of the Weimar Republic 1918-1919

Question 1

What was the Weimar Republic

Answer 1

The new democratic government that was set-up following the abdication of the Kaiser

Question 2

What type of government did armed fighters want to see take over the kaiser instead of the new republic

Answer 2

An extreme Communist government

Question 3

Who was Friedrich Ebert

Answer 3

The first President of the Weimar Republic. He was the leader of the Social Democratic Party, the most important democratic party in the Weimar Republic

Question 4

What did the Weimar government sign on the 11th November 1918

Answer 4

The armistice ending WW1

Question 5

Name at least two ways that Ebert tried to boost people’s confidence in the Weimar Republic between November 1918 and July 1919

Answer 5

Ebert arranged for the civil servants who had helped run Germany to stay in office

He reassured Generals no charges would be made to the army

He reassured business leaders that the government would not take away land or factories and at the same time told workers that the government would support their needs

Question 6

Who was allowed to vote in the new democracy of the Weimar Republic

Answer 6

All men and women of 21 years or over

Question 7

What were at least two strengths of the Weimar Republic’s Constitution

Answer 7

It was very democratic, proportional representation mean that more parties were represented

The Constitution was designed so no one person or group had too much power and there was a good balance between central government and local government

Question 8

What were at least two weaknesses of the Weimar Republics Constitution

Answer 8

Proportional representation meant that parties had to compromise and create coalition governments which made making decisions difficult

The need to compromise could make it weak and indecisive in a crisis

Some of the parties elected to the Reichstag hated democracy and it was a constitution based on division and violence from the start